The son "did strangle and strike his mother in the face," but his mother was able to keep her son and her guest separated.

Mother and guest were able to flee the home, though, and called the police, telling authorities that her son suffers from depression, was armed with a 9 mm handgun, and had barricaded himself in a back bedroom of the home, Barren said.

A SWAT team made the scene, supported by police from the precinct, who set a perimeter, and negotiators, who attempted to make contact with the suspect by loudspeaker and by phone, but were unable to reach him.

Early in the 7 a.m. hour, police entered the home to find that the suspect had been gone the entire time, likely fleeing, Barren said, before SWAT teams got in place.